Structured elements and methods of use

ABSTRACT

Structured elements with capabilities for stream flow division and distribution and mitigation of undesired species that exceed those of conventionally available materials are provided. The structured elements provide increased opportunities for surface attraction, retention and coalescence of undesired species in a process stream. The functional contact surfaces of the structured elements can include one or more of the faces of cells, the surfaces of struts connecting cells, the surfaces of nodes connecting struts, and the surfaces of asperities or irregularities caused by channels, flutes, spikes, fibrils or filaments in or on the material surfaces.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional application and claims the benefit, andpriority benefit, of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/393,573, filedDec. 29, 2016, which claims the benefit, and priority benefit, of U.S.Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/273,590, filed Dec. 31, 2015,and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/294,718, filed Feb.12, 2016, the contents of each are incorporated by reference herein intheir entirety.

BACKGROUND Field of the Invention

The presently disclosed subject matter relates to materials and methodsfor enhanced treatment of streams to, from and/or within process units.

Description of the Related Art

It is known in the art to tailor various streams flowing to, from and/orwithin process units in industrial facilities in order to to improve theefficiency and economics of the process units contained in thefacilities. For example, undesired species in streams can foul, clog,contaminate, poison or degrade unit internals. These undesired speciescan also have negative effects on the performance of units contiguousto, downstream of, or integrated with such units. Additionally, processunit performance depends on the effective division and distribution ofstreams entering and within the process unit in order to facilitateoptimum contact with internals within the process unit. Improvements inthis field of technology are desired.

SUMMARY

The presently disclosed subject matter relates to materials and methodsfor enhanced treatment of streams to, from and/or within process units.

In certain illustrative embodiments, a method of flow division anddistribution and of filtration and mitigation of undesired species froma stream to a unit is provided. The stream can be passed through andcontacted with the surfaces of structured elements disposed in the unit,the structured elements being present in an amount sufficient tofacilitate flow division and distribution of the stream and to mitigatethe undesired species in the stream. The structured elements can have acontact surface with a surface area ranging from 200 to 800,000 squaremeters per cubic meter of structured elements. The structured elementscan also have a filtration capability able to effectively removeparticulates of sizes from 100 nanometers to 11 millimeters.

In certain aspects, the structured elements can have a contact surfacewith a surface area of at least 10,000 square meters per cubic meter ofstructured elements. The structured elements can also have a contactsurface with a surface area of up to 800,000 square meters per cubicmeter of structured elements. The structured elements can also have acontact surface with a surface area ranging from 10,000 to 800,000square meters per cubic meter of structured elements.

In certain aspects, the structured elements can comprise one or moreinterconnected unit cells, each unit cell having a frame and a pluralityof faces. The individual faces can be open, partially open or entirelyclosed. The frame and plurality of faces of each unit cell can form athree dimensional structure. The three dimensional structure can be apolyhedron, exemplified by the Weaire-Phelan foam-like structure. Thepolyhedron can be a regular polyhedron or an irregular polyhedron. Thethree dimensional structure can be a monolith. The monolith can haveparallel and non-intersecting channels. The monolith can have irregular,non-intersecting channels. At least 10% of the total area of the facesof the unit cells can be partially or totally obstructed. The unit cellscan each have a diameter in the range from 0.5 to 50 millimeters. Thestructured element can have a plurality of interconnected unit cellscomprising a plurality of tortuous flow passageways through thestructured element and the stream can be passed through and contactedwith the surfaces of the plurality of tortuous flow passageways.

In certain aspects, the structured element can additionally include aplurality of asperities formed on the unit cells comprising thestructured element. The asperities can include one or more of channels,flutes, spikes, fibrils and filaments. The contact surface of thestructured element can comprise the surfaces of the plurality oftortuous passageways as well as the interconnected unit cells includingtheir frames, their faces and their asperities.

In certain illustrative embodiments, a method of mitigation of undesiredspecies from a stream to a process unit is provided. The stream can bepassed through one or more structured elements in the unit, thestructured elements being present in an amount sufficient to mitigatethe undesired species in the stream. The stream can be contacted withthe surfaces of the structured elements to mitigate the undesiredspecies in the stream. The structured elements can have a contactsurface with a surface area ranging from 200 to 800,000 square metersper cubic meter of structured elements and a filtration capability ableto effectively remove particulates of sizes from 100 nanometers to 11millimeters. In certain aspects, the structured elements can also have acontact surface with a surface area of at least 10,000 square meters percubic meter of structured elements. The structured elements can alsohave a contact surface with a surface area of up to 800,000 squaremeters per cubic meter of structured elements. The structured elementscan also have a contact surface with a surface area ranging from 10,000to 800,000 square meters per cubic meter of structured elements.

In certain illustrative embodiments, a method of facilitating flowdivision and distribution of a stream to a process unit is provided. Thestream can be passed through structured elements in the unit, thestructured elements being present in an amount sufficient to facilitateflow division and distribution of the stream. The stream can becontacted with the structured elements to facilitate flow division anddistribution of the stream. The structured elements can have a contactsurface with a surface area ranging from 200 to 800,000 square metersper cubic meter of structured elements and a filtration capability ableto effectively remove particulates of sizes from 100 nanometers to 11millimeters. In certain aspects, the structured elements can also have acontact surface with a surface area of at least 10,000 square meters percubic meter of structured elements. The structured elements can alsohave a contact surface with a surface area of up to 800,000 squaremeters per cubic meter of structured elements. The structured elementscan also have a contact surface with a surface area ranging from 10,000to 800,000 square meters per cubic meter of structured elements.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a unit cell for a structured element,the unit cell having a dodecahedron shape, in accordance with anillustrative embodiment of the presently disclosed subject matter.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a unit cell for a structured element,the unit cell having a dodecahedron shape with a plurality of blockedopenings in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the presentlydisclosed subject matter.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a unit cell for a structured element,the unit cell having a dodecahedron shape with a surface roughened byasperities and irregularities in accordance with an illustrativeembodiment of the presently disclosed subject matter.

FIG. 4 is a zoomed-in perspective view of the unit cell of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a unit cell for a structured element,the unit cell having a dodecahedron shape with a strutted or fibrillarsurface in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the presentlydisclosed subject matter.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a structured element comprised of unitcells and having a monolithic shape in accordance with an illustrativeembodiment of the presently disclosed subject matter.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a structured element comprised of unitcells and having a monolithic shape and a plurality of blocked openingsin accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the presently disclosedsubject matter.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a structured element comprised of unitcells and having a monolithic shape with a roughened surface inaccordance with an illustrative embodiment of the presently disclosedsubject matter.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a structured element comprised of unitcells and having a monolithic shape with a strutted or fibrillar surfacein accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the presently disclosedsubject matter.

FIG. 10 is a graph comparing filtration capability for conventionalmaterials and the presently disclosed materials in accordance with anillustrative embodiment of the presently disclosed subject matter.

FIGS. 11A-D are images of conventional porous filtration media havingvarious sized openings.

FIGS. 12A-D are images of the presently disclosed structured elementshaving various sized openings in accordance with illustrativeembodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter.

FIG. 13 is a zoomed-in perspective view of the structured element ofFIG. 12A.

While the presently disclosed subject matter will be described inconnection with the preferred embodiment, it will be understood that itis not intended to limit the presently disclosed subject matter to thatembodiment. On the contrary, it is intended to cover all alternatives,modifications, and equivalents, as may be included within the spirit andthe scope of the presently disclosed subject matter as defined by theappended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The presently disclosed subject matter relates to materials and methodsfor enhanced treatment of streams to, from and/or within process units.Units typically have internals to tailor streams entering and/or withinthe unit. Units also have internals to undertake desired unitoperations, such as, for example, catalytic reactions and/or masstransfer. Stream treatment functions can include attracting, retainingand/or otherwise mitigating undesired species and/or ensuring effectivestream flow division and distribution. The undesired species caninclude, without limitation, solid particulates, molecular species andentrained fluids.

Units can have streams entering the units as feeds, internal streams(such as recycle streams) within the units and streams exiting the unitsas products. The handling of these streams can involve a variety ofactivities including but not limited to (i) mitigating undesiredspecies, (ii) ensuring effective stream flow division and distribution,(iii) performing desired unit operations such as chemical reactions andmass transfer including component separation, and (iv) generating andrecovering streams as finished products or as feeds to other units.These activities can be carried out in discrete zones within units orcombined as appropriate.

As an example of a simple configuration frequently utilized in industry,many units have a stream treating zone positioned upstream of a streamprocessing zone, both contained within the same unit. In such aconfiguration and in the majority of configurations utilized inindustry, the roles of the treating zone are to provide to theprocessing zone a stream whose flow is effectively divided anddistributed and/or that is substantially free of undesired species.However, many other configurations of these functionalities andcombinations of these functionalities may be designed into units.

In some cases, treating zones can be installed for the sole purpose ofdividing and distributing stream flow, or for the sole purpose ofmitigating undesired species. Treating zones can be composed of separatelayers of materials specifically designed to accomplish these purposes.For example, layers of different forms of media (including differentsizes or shapes or structures or compositions or the like) can beinstalled with each layer targeted at mitigating a specific set ofundesired species. Layers can be composed of media whose purposes are toboth mitigate undesired species and facilitate stream division anddistribution. Layers may be installed in any order and in any locationas dictated by the functions to be performed. Units may have only onetreating zone or one processing zone, one of each, one of each andmultiples of the other, multiples of both or combinations of both.Combination is meant to include zones which have both treating andprocessing functionalities.

Treating zones can have useful lives primarily dictated by theircapacity to attract, retain and/or otherwise mitigate undesired speciesand/or their ability to effectively divide and distribute the flow ofstreams passed through them. Treating zones can become blocked orclogged over time and eventually exhaust their capacities to attract,retain, and mitigate undesired species and/or divide and distribute theflow of streams. As these capacities are exhausted,insufficiently-processed streams can progress into downstream zones.Treating zone exhaustion can result in increased pressure drop in theunit itself which can necessitate unit shutdown to rejuvenate (via, forexamples, regeneration or partial or complete replacement) the contentsof the treating zone and, perhaps, the contents of downstream zones.

A function of processing zones is to process the suitably tailoredstreams exiting the treating zones. Examples of such processing include(i) molecular conversion via thermal, pressure and/or catalytic meansand (ii) component separation via distillation, extraction or the like.Some materials and media used in such processing zones can have a useful“on-oil” life. In process units, for example, where the media in theprocessing zone are catalysts, the capability of the catalytic media candegrade over time due to catalyst deactivation caused, for examples, bycoking or by agglomeration or conversion of catalytic species. A typicalresponse to processing zone catalyst deactivation is to increase unittemperature in order to sustain catalytic performance. Maximum allowedtemperature, when reached, will require unit shutdown. Improvedtreatment zones can facilitate enhanced performance of catalyticprocessing zones by: [i] prolonging catalyst life via providing streamflows that are more dispersed and distributed, [ii] prolonging catalystlife via providing stream flows containing reduced concentrations ofundesired species, and [iii] advantageously allowing the use of moreproductive catalyst media, i.e., more active media or more long-lastingmedia.

Various conventional means exist for attracting, retaining and/orotherwise mitigating undesired species in streams passing throughtreating zones. For example, absorbents or otherwise active materialscan be used to render undesired chemical species inert, cause them to beejected from the unit in an effluent stream or converted into largerparticulate matter that can be effectively removed using traditionalfiltration solutions. Undesired chemical species including reactionproducts such as iron sulfides and the like can form small particulates.Existing filtration technologies have limitations regarding theparticulate sizes they can remove and have limited abilities to dealwith undesired chemical species.

Conventional filtration media are also utilized in treating zones withinunits. However, these media can become clogged and blocked, which causesincreases in pressure drop across the filter system as well as the unititself which may require that the entire unit be taken off-line toremove and replace spent filter media and systems.

Filter system backwashing has also been used to remove filteredparticulates. These change-outs and/or cleanings require costlyinterruptions with accompanying costs due to unit downtime, filtersystem expenses and maintenance effort. Such change-outs and/orcleanings also incur operating risks associated with unit shutdowns,startups and maintenance.

Porous filtration media have been utilized to attract and retainundesired species found in streams. Conventional porous filtration mediaare typically composed of ceramics or metals capable of withstanding thesevere operating conditions in industrial units. The primary filtrationmechanism of such media has been thought to occur within the pores ofthe media. The ability of such media to effectively mitigate suchspecies has hitherto been correlated with pore size distribution,typically measured by “ppi” or “pores per inch.” Conventional porousfiltration media can be commercially manufactured with ppi ranging fromabout 10 to 100. The ability of such media to attract and retainundesired species depends not only on its ppi but also on the internalsurface area of the media. For example, 10 ppi conventional porous mediahas internal surface area of about 300 square meters per cubic meter ofmedia and has the ability to attract and retain undesired species sizedfrom about 650 to 2000 microns. A 100 ppi conventional porous media hasinternal surface area of about 2400 square meters per cubic meter ofmedia and has the ability to attract and retain undesired species sizedfrom about 40 to 500 microns. Mitigating undesired species with sizesbelow 40 microns is not commercially feasible with conventional media.Also, mitigating undesired species ranging in size from, say, 40 to 2000microns would require utilization of multiple grades of conventionalmedia, each with its own ppi structure and associated internal surfacearea. Attempts to mitigate species larger than the capable maximum (2000microns for 10 ppi media and 500 microns for 100 ppi media) results incomplete performance debilitation of conventional media.

Porous media is frequently used in treating zones of units to achieveflow division and distribution to downstream processing zones in thesame units. The prevailing thinking regarding this subject has been thattreating zone flow division and distribution is enhanced as decreasedpore size provides increased division and distribution capability. Thepresently disclosed subject matter demonstrates that the amount andstructure of the contact surface area of treating zone media determinesthe efficacy of stream flow division and distribution as well asundesired species mitigation.

Providing optimum stream treatment systems requires the properselection, design, fabrication, installation, operation and maintenanceof such systems. Key performance parameters to be considered include therobustness of the materials selected to attract, retain and/or otherwisemitigate undesired species and/or the configuration and assembly of suchmaterials so as to provide effective stream division and distribution.

Processing zones can be located within the same unit as the treatingzone or in a vessel downstream of the vessel containing the treatingzone. Zones within units are utilized to treat and/or process streams.Some zones simultaneously treat and process streams. More typically,streams passing through treating zones are subsequently passed toprocessing zones.

In certain illustrative embodiments, the presently disclosed subjectmatter can be employed in zones that simultaneously treat and processstreams or in stand-alone treating zones. Specifically, the presentlydisclosed subject matter can: (i) more fully utilize the capability ofthe unit internals to attract, retain and/or otherwise mitigateundesired species; (ii) more effectively divide and distribute streamsto processing zones within units; (iii) reduce the costs of suchtreating zone solutions while also allowing for maximized utilization ofcapabilities of the processing zones of such units; and (iv) result insubstantial increases in unit profitability.

In certain illustrative embodiments, the presently disclosed subjectmatter comprises structured elements with capabilities for stream flowdivision and distribution and mitigation of undesired species thatexceed those of conventionally available materials. When used in units,the structured elements described herein have a number of advantageswhen compared to prior art materials. For treating zones within units,the advantages include: (i) reducing the depth of the treating zonerequired, (ii) attracting, retaining and/or otherwise mitigatingundesired species unable to be handled by prior art materials and (iii)providing flow division and distribution to processing zones moreeffectively than prior art materials. For processing zones, theadvantages include: (i) having the benefit of cleaner, better dividedand/or distributed streams exiting from treating zones, (ii) allowingthe utilization of more effective processing zone internals, e.g., moreactive catalyst types or morphologies, and (iii) creating additionalprocessing zone space to increase loadings of catalysts, absorbents orother internals. For the unit as a whole, the advantages include: (i)reducing the need for unit disruptions, including downtimes, withattendant loss of unit productivity, (ii) reduced operating risksassociated with such disruptions and (iii) increased unit reliabilityand profitability.

Conventional filtration systems in treating zones using porous mediahave been pore-centric with filtration thought to occur within the poresof the filter media. Recent studies have revealed that the primaryfiltration mechanism in such media is attraction, retention and/orotherwise mitigation of undesired species on the contact surfaces withinthe media. In certain illustrative embodiments, the presently disclosedsubject matter comprises structured elements having contact surfacearchitecture that is superior to that found in conventional filtermedia. The contact surface architecture is more amenable to attracting,retaining and/or otherwise mitigating undesired species and/or tofacilitating stream flow division and distribution.

In certain illustrative embodiments, the structured elements havemultifaceted, three-dimensioal geometry with significantly increasedcontact surface area relative to conventional material architecture.Structured elements can comprise interconnected unit cells, each unitcell having a frame and a plurality of faces. The individual faces canbe open, partially open or closed. At least 10% of the total area of thefaces of the unit cells can be closed. The structured elements canadditionally include a plurality of asperities formed on the unit cells.Asperities can include one or more of channels, flutes, spikes, fibrilsand filaments. The structured elements can have a plurality of tortuouspassageways through the structure via the openings in the faces of theinterconnected unit cells.

Representative three dimensional architectures of the structured elementunit cells can include regular and irregular polyhedra and monoliths.

The contact surface of the structured elements can comprise the surfacesof both their tortuous passageways and their unit cells including theframes, faces and asperities of the unit cells. The contact surface ofthe materials of the presently disclosed subject matter exceeds that ofprior materials.

These contact surfaces provide the primary vehicle for mitigatingundesired species via attraction, retention, adhesion, absorption,coalescence, agglomeration, capillary action and the like. This resultsin increased mitigation of undesired species within treating zones whichleads directly to improved unit performance.

In certain illustrative embodiments, the structured elements havetortuosity and boundary layer conditions which enhance the ability ofthe material to attract, retain and/or otherwise mitigate particulateand molecular species. For example, in certain illustrative embodiments,the presently disclosed materials can attract and retain species havingsizes as small as 200 nanometers, and in certain illustrativeembodiments, as small as 100 nanometers.

In certain illustrative embodiments, the structured elements can beengineered to have structural characteristics beyond the geometricbounds set by the natural formations of foams, gels and extrusions whichare used to form conventional porous media. The structured elements canhave “active” surface features that improve attraction, retention and/orother mitigation capabilities and enhance flow division anddistribution.

For example, in certain illustrative embodiments, the active surfacefeatures can include: (i) engineered blockage or partial blockage ofunit cell faces; (ii) designed roughness of surfaces plus designedsurface asperities or irregularities such as channels, flutes, spikes,fibrils, filaments and the like; (iii) increased tortuous surfaces andsurface area of passageways; (iv) regions allowing pooling and settlingof liquids; and (v) increased laminar flow and boundary layer zones,wherein van der Waals adhesion forces are magnified.

Active surface features of pooling and settling regions include enhancedcapture of small particles which, according to Stokes Law, require moretime to pool and settle than larger particles.

Furthermore, it is known that van der Waals adhesion forces becomedominant for collections of very small particles (i.e. 250 microns orsmaller). Van der Waals adhesion forces are dependent on surfacetopography, and if there are surface asperities or protuberances whichresult in greater area of contact between particles or a particle and awall, van der Waals forces of attraction as well as the tendency formechanical interlocking increase.

In certain illustrative embodiments, the structured elements have anengineered architecture that elicits enhanced performance beyondexisting porous or cellular materials due to improved surfacearchitecture and conditions. The structured elements can have anenlarged contact surface area containing thin film boundary layerswithin which molecular attraction and retention plus Van der Waalsadhesion forces are magnified.

In certain illustrative embodiments, surface features of the structuredelements can include surfaces that are wholly or partially composed of,or coated with, materials that enhance mitigation of undesired species.An illustrative example is wash coating with a material which helpsattract and retain metal molecular species such as arsenic and vanadium,both of which are powerful catalyst deactivators or poisons.

The structured elements provide increased opportunities for surfaceattraction, retention and coalescence of undesired species. In certainillustrative embodiments, the functional contact surfaces of thestructured elements can include one or more of: (i) the faces of cells,(ii) the surfaces of struts connecting cells, (iii) the surfaces ofnodes connecting struts, and (iv) the surfaces of asperities orirregularities caused by channels, flutes, spikes, fibrils or filamentsin or on the surfaces of all the above. The functional contact surfacesof the structured elements can be manufactured or modified to enhancecoalescence, chemical reaction, agglomeration of atoms into largerspecies, extraction, adsorption, and the like in the process units.

In certain illustrative embodiments, the structured elements canfacilitate flow division and distribution in units. It has been learnedthat flow division and distribution enhancement can be attributed notonly to tortuous mixing, but also, in certain illustrative embodiments,to the development of thin films on the surfaces of the structuredelements. These films and surfaces can provide a vehicle for divisionand flow distribution. Thus, the focus of flow division and distributionperformance is shifted from pore size and pore volume to contactsurfaces, surface area and, importantly, surface asperities andirregularities.

In certain illustrative embodiments, the structured elements can haveappropriately engineered architectures that attract, retain and/orotherwise mitigate a broader range of undesired species thanconventional materials. This provides the important economic benefit ofdecreasing the number of layers of media “grades” (and the spacerequired to contain them) in a unit's treating zone(s) and freeingvaluable space for added unit internals (such as catalyst) in the unit'sprocessing zone(s). In certain illustrative embodiments, the structuredelements comprise materials having an internal void fraction of 60% orgreater. In certain illustrative embodiments, the structured elementscan begin with cells that are 0.5 to 50 millimeters in size.

In certain illustrative embodiments, the structured elements cancomprise polyhedral shaped materials. The polyhedral shapes can include,for example, tetrahedra, cubes, octahedra, dodacahedra and isosahedra.The polyhedral shapes can be formed from a plurality of interconnectedunit cells comprising polygonal shaped materials that are positionedtogether to form a combined structure. Further, the structured elementscan comprise reticulated ceramics as well as any other cellular ceramicsincluding monolithic structures.

Various illustrative embodiments of the structured element unit cellsare shown in FIGS. 1-5. FIG. 1 shows a standard dodecahedron-shaped unitcell, which can be for example, the building block for a reticulatedceramic. FIG. 2 shows the dodecahedron-shaped unit cell havingapproximately 50% blocked openings. FIG. 3 shows the dodecahedron-shapedunit cell having a roughened surface. FIG. 4 shows a close up view ofthe dodecahedron-shaped unit cell of FIG. 3, to further illustrate theroughened surface. FIG. 5 shows the dodecahedron-shaped unit cell havinga fibrillar surface. FIGS. 12A-12D are representative views of thestructured elements composed of a plurality of unit cells wherein theunit cells have different sizes (measured in pores per inch). FIG. 12E,a zoomed portion of FIG. 12A, illustrates the surface features of thestructured elements that produce the significant increase in contactsurface area relative to conventional materials, in certain illustrativeembodiments. FIG. 6 shows a structured element having a standardmonolithic structure. FIG. 7 shows the monolithic structure havingapproximately 50% blocked openings. FIG. 8 shows the monolithicstructure having a roughened surface. FIG. 9 shows the monolithicstructure having a spiked or fibrillar surface.

In certain illustrative embodiments, the structured elements comprisematerials having a geometric contact surface area in the range from 200to 800,000 square meters per cubic meter of said structured elements. Incertain aspects, the structured elements can have a contact surface witha surface area of at least 10,000 square meters per cubic meter ofstructured elements. The structured elements can also have a contactsurface with a surface area of up to 800,000 square meters per cubicmeter of structured elements. The structured elements can also have acontact surface with a surface area ranging from 10,000 to 800,000square meters per cubic meter of structured elements.

In certain illustrative embodiments, the range of contact surface areaof the structured elements of the presently disclosed subject matter issignificantly larger than the contact surface area range of prior artmaterials. Moreover, specific grades of structured elements have asignificantly broader range of ability to attract and retain undesiredspecies. As examples, structured elements corresponding to 10 ppiconventional media are capable of attracting and retaining species ofsize ranging from 20 to 2000 microns and structured elementscorresponding to 100 ppi are capable of attracting and retaining speciesof size ranging from 0.1 to 500 microns.

A graphical comparison of filtration capability for conventionalmaterials and the presently disclosed materials is shown in FIG. 10. Thegraph shows the filtration ranges for both prior art materials (asdescribed in, e.g., Paragraph 28 herein) and the presently disclosedmaterials with particle sizes shown in microns on the x axis. TheStandard Structure A line corresponds to the filtration capability ofconventional prior art 10 ppm media. This media is capable of filteringparticulate matter from 650 to 2000 microns in size. The StandardStructure B line corresponds to the filtration capability ofconventional prior art 100 ppm media. This media is capable of filteringparticulate matter from 40 to 500 microns in size. These two representthe upper and lower ppi limits of conventional materials that can becommercially manufactured and used. As shown in FIG. 10, there is a gapbetween the upper end of the B line (500 microns) and the lower end ofthe A line (650 microns). If a specific process application needed tofilter particulates across the entire 40 to 2000 micron range, both theA and B structures would be required plus another structure (ofapproximately 50 ppi) to bridge the 500 to 650 micron gap. This wouldmean three different grades of media in three different layers in theunit must be utilized.

By comparison, the Structured Elements line of FIG. 10 shows thecapability of only one grade of the presently disclosed materials, incertain illustrative embodiments. This grade, when used alone, canfilter particulates ranging in size from 20 to 2000 microns, and thuscorresponds with the entire range of both the Standard Structure A lineand the Standard Structure B line, and beyond. Thus, as explainedpreviously herein, the Structured Elements can filter particulates thatare both smaller and larger than feasible with prior art media. Forexample, the Structured Elements can filter particulates as small as 0.1microns (100 nanometers) and as large as 11 millimeters, in certainillustrative embodiments.

FIGS. 11A-11D and 12A-12D are comparative views of conventionalmaterials and the presently disclosed structured elements according tocertain illustrative embodiments. The conventional materials of FIGS.11A-11D have sizes of approximately ten (10) (FIG. 11A), thirty (30)(FIG. 11B), fifty (50) (FIG. 11C) and eighty (80) (FIG. 11D) ppi,respectively. The structured elements of FIGS. 12A-12D are different anddistinguishable in structure from those of FIGS. 11A-11D due to thepresence of face blockage and surface roughness and asperities (asillustrated in FIG. 12E which is a zoomed portion of 12A) whichadvantageously provide a significant and measurable increase in contactsurface area relative to conventional materials. According to certainillustrative embodiments, and as shown in FIG. 13, the unit cells thatmake up the structured elements can comprise a random mix of individualunit cells having, for example, various types of asperities and/or oneor more blocked openings.

In certain illustrative embodiments, each of the structured elements inthe images in FIGS. 12A-12D can contain a variety of blockages, surfaceroughness, and asperities. Geometrical models have been produced toestimate the relative increase of surface area that these differentcombinations are able to generate. For example, in certain illustrativeembodiments, the structured element in FIG. 12A could have a surfacearea as low as 260 square meter per cubic meter and as high as 131,700square meter per cubic meter. In certain illustrative embodiments, thestructured element in FIG. 12B could have a surface area as low as 625square meter per cubic meter and as high as 305,000 square meter percubic meter. In certain illustrative embodiments, the structured elementin FIG. 12C could have a surface area as low as 1223 square meter percubic meter and as high as 556,500 square meter per cubic meter. Incertain illustrative embodiments, the structured element in FIG. 12Dcould have a surface area as low as 1697 square meter per cubic meterand as high as 834,600 square meter per cubic meter. More in depthmodeling has been performed to demonstrate surface areas exceeding1,000,000 square meter per cubic meter provided sufficient structuresand the preferred combination of blockages, roughness, and asperities.The structure in FIG. 12A could provide enough variability in surfacearea to perform the same function as FIGS. 11A-11D, vastly shrinkingfiltration system size and the number of layers required for properfunction. Similar comparisons can be made about FIGS. 12B, C, and D, butit can also be said surface areas which could not be physically achievedin FIGS. 11A-11D are surpassed by more than 2 orders of magnitude in thestructures represented in FIGS. 12A-12D, in certain illustrativeembodiments.

Various methods of utilizing the structured elements in or in connectionwith a unit are disclosed herein. For example, in certain illustrativeembodiments, a method of mitigating undesired species within andproviding effective flow division and distribution of one or more fluidstreams is provided. The mitigation can involve retention, capture,trapping, isolation, neutralization, removal, agglomeration,coalescence, transformation or otherwise rendering said undesiredspecies impotent. The undesired species can include small particulates,entrained matter, undesired chemicals, extraneous contaminants, and thelike. A treating zone of the structured elements can be provided wherebythe structured elements: (i) have sufficient voidage, surface area andpassageway tortuosity; (ii) have a plurality of surfaces within saidelements sufficient to facilitate both mitigation of the undesiredspecies and effective flow division and distribution; and (iii) have aplurality of tortuous flow passageways to facilitate both mitigation ofundesired species on the surfaces of the structured elements andunimpeded passage of the streams thru the treating zone. The effluentfrom the treating zone can be fed to a processing zone locateddownstream in the same unit. Asperities and irregularities such asspikes and fibrils can be created on the surfaces of the structuredelements. The faces of the structured elements can also be blocked orpartially blocked. In another aspect, a method of removing contaminantsfrom a contaminated feed stream is provided. The contaminated feedstream can be passed through a layer of structured elements, the layerof structured elements being in an amount sufficient to substantiallyfilter the contaminant from the feed stream. The contaminated feedstream can be contacted with the surfaces of the structured elements toremove the contaminants from the contaminated feed stream.

In certain illustrative embodiments, the stream that is treated with thestructured elements is an industrial process stream and the unit is anindustrial process unit. For example, and without limitation, theindustrial process stream can be a hydrocarbon or an inorganic stream,and the industrial process unit can be a hydrotreater, a still or anextractor.

It is to be understood that the presently disclosed subject matter isnot to be limited to the exact details of construction, operation, exactmaterials, or embodiments shown and described, as obvious modificationsand equivalents will be apparent to one skilled in the art. Accordingly,the presently disclosed subject matter is therefore to be limited onlyby the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of distributing the flow of a fluidstream within a process unit, the method comprising: passing the fluidstream through a plurality of structured elements in the process unit,each structured element comprising one or more interconnected unitcells, each unit cell having a frame with a three-dimensional polyhedronstructure and a plurality of faces, wherein the faces include acombination of open faces, partially open faces and closed faces, andwherein the frame, the partially open faces and the closed faces eachhave a plurality of differently-shaped asperities disposed on thesurfaces thereof; and contacting the fluid stream with the structuredelements as the fluid stream flows through the structured elements, suchthat the fluid steam is subdivided into substreams.
 2. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the asperities comprise one or more of channels,flutes, spikes, fibrils and filaments.
 3. The method of claim 1, whereinthe structured elements comprise a plurality of differently-shaped unitcells.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the asperities comprise one ormore of fibrils and filaments.